Pole mounting means for portable electric vacuum cleaner



W. B. FOGLE Nov. 8, 1960 POLE MOUNTING MEANS FOR PORTABLE ELECTRIC VACUUM CLEANER 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Feb. 24, 1960 i d d INVENTOR. Mum/*1 5. roam Z (Mdfl/M Nov. 8, 1960 w FQGLE 2,959,388

POLE MOUNTING MEANS FOR PORTABLE ELECTRIC VACUUM CLEANER Filed Feb. 24, 1960 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR. lV/LZ/AM 5. F0625 ATTOE/Vf) United States Patent O POLE MOUNTING MEANS FOR PORTABLE ELECTRIC VACUUM CLEANER William B. Fogle, Baltimore, Md., assignor to The Black and Decker Manufacturing Company, Towson, Md., a corporation of Maryland Filed Feb. 24, 1960, Ser. No. 10,785

3 Claims. (Cl. 248-231) The present invention relates to pole mounting means for a portable electric vacuum cleaner, and more particularly, to a vacuum cleaner of the type having a pair of parallel runners or skids by which th cleaner ordinarily may be dragged along the floor.

It is the basic object of the present invention to provide convenient and economical pole mounting means for such a vacuum cleaner,

In accordance with the teachings of the present invention, which is a further improvement on a co-pending application Serial No. 10,784, filed on the same date as the present application and entitled Wall Mounting Means for a Portable Electric Vacuum Cleaner, pole mounting means are herein provided which include a member, preferably in the form of a channel, which has a bottom wall and a pair of side walls extending therefrom. Corresponding V-slots are formed in each of the side walls and diverge outwardly in a direction away from the bottom wall. Means are provided to secure the channel member to a pole or other similar structure so that the V-slots are held firmly against the pole and the channel member is secured in a generally horizontal position with the bottom wall thereof facing outwardly of the pole. Means are secured to the outward face of the channel member to provide a pair of spaced hooks projecting outwardly therefrom; and within each of the skids of the portable electric vacuum cleaner, suitable slotted apertures are formed therein. The lateral distance between these apertures in substantially equal to the horizontal spacing between the hooks, so that each of the apertures are adapted to engage respective hooks; and thus, the cleaner may be lifted off the floor by the operator and temporarily mounted in a convenient vertical position upon the pole.

These and other objects of the present invention will become apparent from the following specification taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure l is a front elevational view of a typical portable electric vacuum cleaner as mounted on a pole or other similar structure and showing the skids in dotted form;

Figure 2 is an exploded view of the structure of the present invention, showing the channel member as secured to a pole and showing the mounting of the spaced hooks which cooperate with the slotted apertures formed in the skids;

Figure 3 is a side elevational view of the cleaner positioned upon a different sized pole, with part of the tank wall of the cleaner being broken to show the means for securing the skids to the cleaner;

Figure 4 is a rear elevational view of the cleaner showing the slotted apertures in th skids; and

Figure 5 shows a modification of the present invention in which the slotted apertures in the skids engage a pair of respective mounting studs, which are secured directly to the channel member.

With particular reference to Figure 1, there is illustrated a typical portable electric vacuum cleaner of m 2,959,388 Patented Nov. 8, 1960 the type described, adapted to be mounted upon a pole 11 or other similar structure, and having a tank 12 of generally trapezoidal cross-section, a cover portion 13 secured to the tank 12 by latches 14, a swivel turret 15 mounted in the cover portion 13, a conventional hose 16, a handle 17 for carrying the cleaner 10, an electric switch 18, and a pair of parallel spaced, longitudinal skids 19 (shown in dotted form) which are secured to the rear or bottom wall of the tank 12 by means of offset ears 20, and which ordinarily serve as runners in dragging the cleaner along the fioor The mounting or positioning of the cleaner 10 upon the pole 11 is shown more particularly in Figure 2, it being understood that the skids 19 are secured to the cleaner 10, as aforesaid, and that a View of the cleaner 10 is deliberately omitted from Figure 2 for clarity of understanding. A member 21 having at least one V-slot 22 formed therein is secured to the pole 11 by suitable means, such as a metal strap 23 having a plurality of serrations 24 which are adapted to be engaged by a latch 25. The member 21 is preferably in the form of a channel member, as illustrated, having'a bottom wall 26 and side Walls 27 extending therefrom, with a corresponding V-slot 22 being formed in each of the side walls 27. A pair of spaced vertical slotted openings 28 are formed within the bottom wall 26 of the channel 21 parallel to the ends thereof and lying equidistantly on either side of the trough 29 of the V-slots 22 and the strap 23 passes through these openings 28 and is adapted to be wound around the pole 11 and to be held tautly in position around the pole 11 by means of the serrations 24 and the latch 25.

Moreover, means are secured to the outward face of the bottom wall 26 of the channel 21 so as to provide a pair of spaced hooks 30 as shown. in Figure 2. Preferably, but not necessarily, such means maytake the convenient and economical form of a mounting bracket 31, which comprises a continuous length of heavy-gage wire having a main body portion 32 and having itsends bent upwardly and outwardly therefrom to provide the pair of spaced hooks 30. The mounting bracket 31.may be secured to channel 21 by means of a pair of bolts 33 which engage suitable eyelets 34 formedin the main body portion 32 of mounting bracket 31 by suitable production methods, such as rolling; and a pair of holes 35 are provided within the bottom wall 26 of channel 21 to receive bolts 33, whereby the mounting bracket 31 may be secured to the channel 21.

Each of the hooks 30 is adapted to be engaged by a pair of respective slotted apertures 36 formed in the skids 19 adjacent to the offset ears 213. As shown more clearly in Figure 4, each of the skids 19 is identical to the other, being provided with offset ears 20, slotted apertures 36, and dimples 37, the latter to reduce sliding friction whenever the cleaner 10 is dragged along the floor. It will be appreciated that the lower set of slotted apertures 36 are superfluous insofar as mounting the cleaner 10 upon the pole 11, but are nevertheless included, preferably, so as to make each of the skids 19 identical to the other to avoid any right-hand or left hand skid and thus to simplify production inventories and facilitate rapid assembly. The skids 19 are in turn permanently secured to the rear (or bottom) wall of the cleaner by suitable means, such as bolts 38 as shown in.

the operators way, which is especially desirable in a crowded and congested working area, the operator may merely lift the cleaner 10 oi the floor and hold it over and above the mounting bracket 31 and then slip the cleaner 10 down and in towards the pole 11 such that the slotted apertures 36 in the skids 19 are engaged by the spaced hooks 30. Then, whenever it is further desired to move the cleaner 10 to a remot working area, the operator may merely lift the cleaner 10 off of the bracket 31 such that the slotted apertures 36 clear the hooks 30.

Figure shows a modification to the present invention, in which the mounting bracket 31 is dispensed with, and instead, a pair of studs 39 are received within a second pair of holes 40 formed within the bottom wall 26 of channel 21 (see Figure l) and are secured therein by means of suitable retaining nuts 41. Each of the studs 39 is provided with a shoulder 42, which projects outwardly beyond the face of the bottom wall 26 of channel 21, thus providing a pair of spaced hooks similar to the hooks 30 of mounting bracket 31 and adapted to be engaged by the slotted apertures 36 in skids 19 in a manner identical to that as previously described.

Obviously, many minor modifications may be made without departing from the basic spirit of the present invention; therefore, it is to be understood that within the scope of the appended claims the invention may be practiced other than as specifically described,

I claim:

1. Pole mounting means for a portable electric vacuum cleaner, comprising, a pole, a portable electric vacuum cleaner having a rear wall, a pair of parallel laterallyspaced longitudinal skids secured to said rear wall of said cleaner, a channel member including a bottom wall having an outward face and further including a pair of parallel side walls extending from said bottom wall, a corresponding V-slot formed in each of said side walls of said channel member, said V-slots being aligned with each other, each of said V-slots having a pair of side edges and further having a trough located near said bottom wall of said channel member, said channel member being held in a horizontal position with said side edges of said V-slots contacting said pole, a pair of spaced vertical slotted openings in said bottom wall of said channel member, one each of said pair of spaced vertical slotted openings lying equidistantly on respective opposite sides of said trough in each of said V-slots, a strap passing through said pair of spaced vertical slotted openings and further passing into and out of said bottom wall of said channel member, said strap being wound around said pole, latching means to hold said strap tautly in position around said pole, means secured to said bottom wall of said channel member to provide a pair of spaced hooks projecting from said outward face of said bottom wall of said channel member, a slotted aperture formed in each of said pair of parallel laterally-spaced longitudinal skids, the lateral distance between said slotted apertures being substantially equal to the horizontal spacing between said spaced hooks, whereby said channel member is securely mounted upon said pole in a horizontal position, and whereby said slotted aperture in each of said skids engages a respective one of said pair of spaced hooks whenever said cleaner is temporarily mounted in a convenient vertical position upon said pole.

2. Pole mounting means as described in claim 1, wherein said means secured to said bottom wall of said channel member to provide a pair of spaced hooks projecting from said outward face of said bottom wall of said chaunel member, comprises, a mounting bracket consisting of a continuous length of wire having a straight main body portion, said mounting bracket being provided with a pair of eyelets formed intermediate its ends, means passing through each of said pair of eyelets to secure said mounting bracket to said bottom wall of said channel member, and each of said pair of ends of said mounting bracket being bent outwardly and then upwardly with respect to main body portion.

3. Pole mounting as described in claim 1, wherein said means secured to said bottom Wall of said channel memher to provide a pair of spaced hooks projecting from said outward face of said bottom wall of said channel member, comprises, a pair of holes in said bottom wall of said channel member, a pair of studs, one each of said pair of studs passing through one each of said holes, means to secure said pair of studs to said bottom wall of said channel member, and each of said pair of studs having a shoulder portion, whereby said pair of studs will project beyond said outward face of said bottom wall of said channel member.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,015,213 Shands Jan. 16, 1912 1,113,781 Griffin Oct. 13, 1914 1,221,507 Buesse e Apr, 3, 1917 1,477,169 Glover Dec. 11, 1923 1,804,420 Kelley May 12, 1931 2,292,250 Tamarin Aug. 4, 1942 FOREIGN PATENTS 413,558 Great Britain July 19, 1934 

